1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to welding processes that use a metallic core material and a flow of inert gas to prevent oxidation and, more particularly, relates to an apparatus and method for automatically cleaning deposits of metallic core material that accumulate on the surfaces of a welding nozzle during welding operations.
2. Description of Related Art
In vehicle manufacturing processes, the equipment used for automatically welding body and frame components generally uses a metallic core material that is fed progressively to the weld site. An inert gas is projected around the weld site to prevent oxidation. This process is commonly referred to as “MIG” welding.
The welding device is usually carried by a robotic mechanism that positions the welding head sequentially at various weld sites. The welding and positioning are controlled automatically at a central control station. An operator, who may make periodic adjustments as necessary, monitors the system.
After the welding device has performed a certain number of operations on components moving along an assembly line, an operator must manually clean the welding nozzle to remove deposits of metallic core material that accumulate on nozzle surfaces. To do this, the operator generally taps the nozzle with some type of impact tool, such as a small hammer, to dislodge accumulated deposits. This is followed by removing the dislodged particles from the vicinity of the nozzle such as by using a blast of air generated by a commonly available air pressure system. While this is being done, another worker may continue the assembly line welding functions manually.
In a typical situation the cleaning function must be accomplished after the welding device has performed its welding cycle about 60 times. The time necessary for manual cleaning may add up to about 50 minutes a day in a typical situation. This diverts the operator from other tasks vital to the manufacturing process and requires the use of another worker to fill in with manual welding for a period of time until the automatic equipment can be put back on line.
It is therefore desirable that an apparatus and method be provided for performing this cleaning operation automatically without interrupting assembly line operations.